


Ophiuchus

by LadyMuzzMuzz



Series: Navigating the Stars. [4]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eye Trauma, F/M, Heavy Angst, Not Too Explicit Though, Snakes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-24 08:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20904815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMuzzMuzz/pseuds/LadyMuzzMuzz
Summary: The twins' birthday is rapidly approaching.  But unbeknownst to you, a shadow approaches as well.





	1. A Serpent Enters the Garden of Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> Heads up: Strap yourselves in for a emotional rollercoaster, and keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times.
> 
> I would recommend you starting at the beginning of the series, if you want to get the full impact of the storyline.

Your living room was a bit more disorganized than usual, with wrapping paper, tapes, ribbons, and a half dozen cookbooks strewn across the floor. This was a bit more complicated than it you had first thought. Buying birthday gifts for Nero had been so simple in comparison. A card, a few toys, a couple of books about crypto-animals like the Loch Ness Monster (Dante had regaled you with tales of a flying demonic whale he had fought, so you were understandably a bit less skeptical about odd beasts now). You even made him a lemon cake, with sour citrus candies topping it, which he devoured like a starving animal.

But now you were buying gifts for two men. Two men with vastly different tastes. Vergil and Dante's birthday was in three days, and between the two of them, you had six gifts planned.

While you knew Dante wouldn't be too put out if you didn't get him anything, you couldn't bring yourself to ignore his special day (not that Nero would allow you to forget his Uncle Dante). But you also didn't want to get him a lesser quantity/quality of gifts. After all, this man was your brother-in-law in all but name.

The moment you met him, you'd instantly liked Vergil's younger twin. His big hug as you walked through the entrance of his business/home was unexpected, but incredibly welcoming. Sure, Vergil was glowering at his brother the entire time, but made no attempt to break you apart. And Dante, to his credit, didn't attempt any other physical contact for the rest of the night. He did tell you stories about his demon hunting exploits, (such as the aforementioned whale) with Nero acting like some Greek Chorus. _Uncle Dante! Tell her about the time you fought 3 dozen __Marionetes__ at once and didn't get a single scratch!_ And Vergil, who 'helpfully' provided clarifications _It was my Judgment Cut that took out most of them, little brother, you seemed to have forgotten that part. _He play wrestled with his nephew, told childish jokes to the kid, (What's the difference between a weasle and a stoat? It's stoatily obvious because it's weasly recognizable) and was the uncle that you wish your childhood could have had.

As Nero was being put to bed, you started up washing the dishes (you insisted on cleaning up, as a proper guest should) You felt him approach you, his heavy footfalls in contrast to his brother's softer ones.

He picked up a dish, a dishtowel, and began drying one of the plates.

“Honestly, it's finally nice to know who Vergil's 'Mystery Woman' is.” He said cheekily.

“He didn't tell you?”

“Oh, he gave me the basics. I had to emotionally manipulate him into telling me you existed.” You frowned, _Why did he not tell him about me?_

Dante was not as dumb as the tales Vergil would tell you about him. He laughed at the expression on your face. “Don't take it personally, Vergil's a protective son of a..” he bit his lip to stop himself from cursing “if you're someone he cares about, he'll go to the ends of the earth to keep you safe, even from his own twin brother.” He grabbed another plate, absently wiping it, before casually tossing it on the stack (Must be the Sparda bloodline that allowed them to do such things) “You, know... he was taking care of Nero all by himself for two months before he broke down and came to me.” he smiled, “it was another month before he would even let me hold the little guy” He looked over at you, “Aw, don't give me that look, Vergil and I weren't on the best of terms back then, and I think just letting me know about my nephew existing was his way of trusting me, even if it was just a little bit. You gotta understand, Verg and I lost nearly everything when we were kids, and we both kinda dealt with it in different ways, I rebuilt my life with new parts, while he... he clutched on to whatever he could hold onto. He's only just started coming around to my way of thinking. And now,” he spun a newly dried plate on his finger like a basketball before flipping it onto the stack. “while he and I still have our differences, we're all a wacky family again, and you're our latest addition” Blood rushed up to your cheeks.

_A family..._

“I bet you would like to see some photos. I got a bunch of albums of Nero! After this I can show you them,” he leaned down conspiratorially, a devilish grin on his face “I gotta show you the photo I took just after Vergil showed up at my place, passed out on my kitchen table drooling, because he was just so tired”

“You will do no such thing, Dante” came Vergil's voice from behind, and you both turned to see him sourly looking at his brother, his arms crossed.

Dante snickered, “Guess this is my queue to beat it” he clicked his tongue as he did some finger guns at you as he left the kitchen. “I'll find the albums, Sunshine. I might even be able to pull...”

“Dante...” Vergil warned.

The younger twin barked out a laugh, and slapped his brother on the shoulder. “You still haven't figured out where I hid that photo, so I'm not showing it....yet. Don't want you to chop it into sub atomic particles”

Chuckling at the memories, you carefully placed the the new pair of heavy duty jeans, bag of gourmet licorice (strawberry of course) and the pizza gift certificate in the middle of the red wrapping paper, and began to cut and tape the package, and then topped it up with some ribbon. You knew he'd love it.

Now on to Vergil's gifts. Those had been a bit harder. Eventually you had settled on a new pair of fingerless gloves, a high quality leather bound note book, and a fancy dark blue fountain pen, with silver accents. These required a bit more care to wrap, as they were more delicate, and you mentally did the math on how much paper you would need.

As you curled the blue ribbon with the edge of the scissors, you checked out the ingredients of the cakes you would make. You didn't mind making two separate cakes for the brothers, especially when Nero was going to come over to help in a couple of days. And then you'd help Nero wrap up his father's and uncle's gifts, both of which you had kept in your apartment for safekeeping. Nero was so excited, you could have sworn he was celebrating his own birthday.

A soft hiss came from the kitchen. Odd, had you left the kettle on when you made yourself a cup of tea? Cursing softly at your forgetfulness, you got up from the floor, and went to turn off the stove.

As you turned the corner, you froze. There, coiled up on your kitchen floor, was a giant snake that had obviously entered via the open kitchen window (its tail was just leaving the windowsill), and it was slithering on your faded linoleum floor, tongue flickering out rapidly like it was smelling something.  
For a brief moment, the rational part of your brain assumed that perhaps it had escaped from some pet owners home, and had just happened to pick your apartment to chill at. Then the reality hit. This was not an ordinary snake because

  1. You lived on the third floor

  2. None of your apartment neighbours had snakes

  3. This snake was bigger than any of the ones you'd seen in Nero prehistoric animal books

  4. The snake was talking. The snake was fucking talking

“_The sssscent is sssstrong. He is near, sssso near.” _ It slithered around, checking out your kitchen, unaware of your presence, before flicking his tongue on the chair Vergil sat in when you had tea together.

You froze, your lips dry. The same feeling as seven years ago crept up your spine. Except this time, you understood exactly what this creature wanted. The flight or fight reaction swung to flight, and you ran back to your living room, carefully avoiding the crackly wrapping paper towards the front door. You yanked the door...

Only to have the door chain stop you with a loud _**SHANK. **_Goddamn Mainlanders and their doorchains. Welp, that wasn't good. You turned around, only to have the snake-demon-thing already halfway through your living room. He was quite a bit faster than you thought a snake of that size was.

“_Ssssooo dissapointing, I thought you were the Sssson of Ssssparda, but you are a mere human.” _it slithered closer to you as you plastered your body against the door.

“_Sssstill...”_ it hissed, stretching out it's jaws, _“a ssssnack would be just what I need, it has been far to long ssssince I have tasted human flesh”_ it's dark iridescent scales seemed to shimmer as it came closer to you. You got a closer look at its mouth and realized that it was not a venomous snake, like a cobra, more like a python, and that you couldn't allow it to get a hold of you. You needed to escape, you needed help.

Your Phone! If you could get to your room where the phone was charging, and block the door, you could get a hold of Vergil, Dante... or one of their associates. The problem was that the demon was blocking your path, and it was getting closer.

Your flight or fight dial now swung to fight, and at the last moment you ducked, grabbed the pair of scissors, and stabbed the monster in the eye. You felt, rather than saw the eye being pierced, and the gush of fluid spraying out as the demon screamed in pain (or was that rage, either way, you weren't sticking around to find out). Leaping over the beast, you ran to your room, slammed the door and grabbed your phone. While holding the phone between your ear and shoulder, you moved your nightstand, your dresser, even your filing cabinet where you kept your bookstore papers in front of the door, anything to keep the beast out. The dial tone droned in your ear as the door shifted.

_pickupickpickupleasepickup_

Once ring

_Thump_

Two rings

**Thump**

Three rings

**THUMP**

“Hello?” Vergil's voice, calm and soothing, was on the other end.

  
“Vergil!” you said as you pushed all your weight into holding the door shut, splinters of the wood frame showing that it wouldn't last long “Help!”

“Understood, I will b-” you didn't catch the rest of it, as the final shove of the snake was enough to burst down the door, causing your furniture, like a domino set to topple over, onto you. With a last gasp of energy, you managed to avoid being crushed, but the filing cabinet managed to pin your left arm, causing immense pain. You managed to use your right hand to prop the cabinet up enough to pull it out, but the pain remained. A broken wrist, most likely. How you wish you could have that super healing Nero and his family had. You looked up from your arm, and came face to face with the demon

“_Foolish human, you sssseek to rise above your sssstation, but you forget your place,”_ it hissed, as you scrambled to get up and get away, not that there was anywhere to go to, _“prey”_

Quicker than you thought an injured giant snake would be, it coiled around your legs, immobilizing you, before circling around your torso and stopping at your upper chest. It hurt to breath. You vaguely remembered how constrictor snakes worked, constricting every time their prey let out a breath, until they couldn't breathe any longer. So, you attempted to control your breathing, to last as long as you could. Vergil with his Yamato wouldn't take long to arrive, you were certain..he would be here soon...

The snake flicked out it's tongue _“I shall have fun devouring you little human, you will ssssuffer for your transgression, I” _it paused, its forked tongue now feathering on your neck _“Wait, that sssscent..”_ Your blood ran cold,_ “Sssson of Ssssparda.....sssso he has made you his mate. Perhaps you can sssstill be of use to me.” _You felt the coils around your chest loosen, allowing you to take some gasps of precious fresh air _“Tell me where he is, and I will release you. Or,” _it said nonchalantly, squeezing you tightly for a moment as a warning, _“I shall devour you, and make sure you are alive and conscious the entire time. Choose now”_ it loosened again, allowing you to respond.

Taking in as much air as you could, you gasped out “**Go. To. Hell**”

It snarled in hatred, and then the crushing resumed. If you thought the previous time was painful, it was nothing like now. Your lungs felt like a balloon that was being sat on by a toddler, soon they would pop. You couldn't breathe, your good right arm hopelessly clawing at the coils before giving up. And now the beast had wrapped around your neck, and started squeezing there as well. Your eyesight was failing, with a ring of darkness expanding at the edges. Your brain, with its supply of oxygen cut off, began thinking weird things, like how you hadn't even wrapped up Vergil's gifts.

And just like that, as if your thoughts had summoned him, you heard his voice, and the signature sound of his katana being unsheathed.

“Release her, you filth.”


	2. Sweet Sorrow:  Part Two

Vergil had been balancing accounts all that evening. Dante, being the financial idiot, had allowed a bunch of accounts lapse on their payment. He pinched his brow as he sent out yet another thinly veiled threat in the form of an e-mail to one of their clients. He thought eventually that word would get around that Devil May Cry expected bills to be paid, but his brother was consistently being lax on the their customers that seemed to expect really generous payment schedules. He really ought to talk to Dante about this.

Speaking of which, his brother was in the kitchen, washing dishes. singing off key with his son, to some godforsaken disco beat that came from the jukebox.

“Ra-Ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian Team!”

“It's 'lover of the Russian Queen,' Dante. If you're going to sing badly, at least sing the correct lyrics badly”

Dante's head peeked out from the room. “Didn't know you were a fan of this song to know the lyrics to this, Verge, sometimes you surprise me.”

“I don't, I have heard the song often enough.... in public.”

Nero's head popped out beneath his uncle's “Dad, why does he love the Russian Queen? Is she his mom or something?”

Vergil's felt his face warm up at the question, and he spluttered. “It...it's an adult thing.” He saw Dante standing, his signature shit eating grin on his face, _He mispronounced the lyrics on purpose, knowing I would correct him._ He fumed, “Nero, finish the dishes with your uncle. Now.” He went back to typing out yet another strongly worded e-mail.

_Ra-Ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian Queen...._

Goddammit, now the song was stuck in his head. He had half a mind to skewer his brother. Unfortunately, that would put a damper on the event that was about to happen in a few days.

Vergil had never celebrated his birthday after the fire. Even after he found Nero, and moved in with Dante, he'd never really felt the need to commemorate the day of his birth. That wasn't to say he didn't shower his son with gifts on his birthday (or as he put it, his 'Found Day', as he was never able to determine his exact date of birth.) He even gave his brother some small, practical unwrapped gift each year, mostly as a small gift of appreciation for staying alive for another year.

Only this year, you'd pulled out all the stops for Nero's birthday. You'd made a lemon cake in the shape of a T-Rex, gotten him a bunch of gifts, and put streamers and balloons out for him. Nero loved the spectacle of it all, and insisted that his dad and uncle should get the same treatment for their birthday. You'd enthusiastically agreed, and he hadn't the heart to decline, especially when Dante jumped up and down like they were celebrating their ninth birthday, instead of their twenty-sixth.

So, you'd been squirreled away in your apartment, the past few days, only allowing Nero to visit you while the two of you concocted some ridiculous plan for Dante and him. While he was not as outwardly excited, he'd be a liar to say he wasn't looking forward to it. And it also had nothing to do with missing your company. He'd need to find out your birthdate.

As if his thoughts of you had some magical properties, his phone buzzed. Odd, he wasn't expecting a call, perhaps it was a client, come to grovel. If only....

It was you calling, odds are it was for you to talk to Nero about your diabolical birthday schemes. He was about to let his son answer the call, when something in his chest told him to answer it. He had missed the sound of your voice anyways.

“Hello?” he answered. There was the sound of things banging in the background and a constant thump.

“Vergil!” you voice cried out, he could feel the fear in it “Help!”

His blood raced in his veins, preparing for battle, “Understood, I will be there shortly” There was no response, just the sound of cracking wood, and crashing...and your scream of pain. He called your name once, but there was no response...and then the line went dead.

“Dante!”

His brother poked his head out again “Look bro, you want to switch the music to your classical sh-”

“I'm leaving, keep an eye on Nero,” and before his brother could protest, he had already cut the air, opening a portal to your location.

The ability to portal wasn't an exact science, and while he could create a portal anywhere he could swing Yamato, he couldn't yet make an exact end location. He ended up in the lobby of your apartment building, scaring a little old lady half to death. Paying her no mind, he ran up the stair way, one floor, two floors, three floors. He could sense your location, in your apartment, as well as mid level demon, one of Mundus's lieutenants, most likely. Cowards, the lot of them. They refused to go against the Sons of Sparda, so they would go after those the Sons protected. They went after his mother, his son, and now you. They would learn what it was like to threaten what Vergil cherished most.

He burst through your front door, snapping the security chain in half, looking at the mess of shiny paper, ribbons, and ...he sniffed, demon blood? A pair of scissors, coated in black ichor lay on the floor at his feet. You were as not as helpless as you seemed.

A sharp hiss alerted him to your location, your bedroom. He ran, Yamato in hand, ready to be unsheathed. What he saw made his blood run cold. You were wrapped up by a disgusting snake like creature, you arms hanging limply at your sides. Your eyes, always so clear and bright, were dull and unfocused, tears dripping down your cheeks. A stream of blood trickled from your nose and mouth, onto the forked tongue of the abomination, who was savouring it like it was the food from the Gods.

“Let her go, you filth” Vergil hissed, as Yamato was unsheathed, and the snake's head whipped around, showing a still bleeding eye.

“_Ahhhh the Sssson of Ssssparda arrives. Your mate,” _ its tongue flicked out, tasting one of your tears _“put up a quite a fight, but she is sssstill human. Ssssins of the father pass down to the sssson it sssseems”_ The snake seemed to grin, which seemed impossible for such a creature.

“Release her. Now.”

A hiss of laughter was its response at his threat. _“You makes threats, Sssspawn of Ssssparda, but you have nothing to back them up with,” _The beast uncoiled around your neck, and loosened slightly from your chest. To Vergil's relief, he could hear your gasping for air, indicating you were still alive. Keeping its good eye on him, the demon ordered you ,_“Sssscream for him, let him ssssee how hopeless your ssssituation is.”_

Your response, while crude, was effective and defiant **“FUCK. YOU.”**

The demon snarled, and it suddenly tightened its coils around you, causing a yelp of pain, and to his horror, he could hear bones cracking, even without his demonic abilities. He didn't have much time.

Your eyes, dim as they were, still looked at you, pleadingly, while the monster dragged his fangs across your throat, causing a thin line of red to drip out, obviously enjoying the torment he was inflicting on you. Vergil had only had one shot at this, to save you.

Calming his rapidly beating heart, he spoke, “Don't move.”

“_You think you can order us sssscum?”_

“I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to her.” Vergil said, sheathing the blade. Faster than the naked eye of a demon, he'd already allowed Yamato to slice.

Before it could react the serpent's head landed on the carpeted floor with a dull thud, it's forked tongue lolling out of its still opened mouth, a spluttering hiss coming out of its severed windpipe. A few moments later, it dissolved into demonic ash, its essence sucked back into the Underworld.

As it did so, so too did the rest of its body, releasing you from the demon's coils. Without the rigid support, your body slumped forward, and Vergil dropped Yamato to catch you.

Vergil called your name, but there was no response. Bruising was already showing up on your neck, arms, and, he assumed, your chest. You'd fallen unconscious, most likely from lack of air, and the stress of the situation, but you were safe now, he'd not let anything harm you again.

The tissue box was within reach, having been knocked over in your fight with the demon, and he plucked a few tissues and began to wipe up the trickle of blood from your nose and mouth. He couldn't feel you breathing.

_She's probably broken some ribs, broken ribs make for very shallow breaths._

He knew he had to get you to a hospital, quickly. For all your resilience, you were still fully human, and subject to all the pitfalls he and his family did not face. He stroked your neck, intending to check your pulse. Odd, he couldn't seem to locate one.

_My hands are shaking too much, it's-it's making it hard to feel something so delicate._

He closed his eyes, forcing to take a few breaths to calm down. He hadn't been this rattled by an attack in ages, not since the attack on his son three years ago. With his eyes closed, he focused solely on his demonic senses to see if he could get a grasp on your condition. There was nothing. Just a void, as if he was carrying a load of laundry in his arms.

_No._

_NononononNONONONONONOnono..._

His body felt numb. His senses, usually on the alert for everything, collapsed into a tiny sphere surrounding him...and your body. No, you weren't gone, the stress of nearly losing you was effecting him...you weren't gone... you couldn't be gone. He stilled everything, even his heartbeat, just to feel your presence.

_Nothing._

He couldn't hold back the dam, and his emotions crashed around him, like a house whose foundations had eaten by termites. He'd failed. He'd failed you, just like he failed his mother. He was weak, no matter what he did, what he learned, what he trained for, it wasn't enough.

You'd given him so much, his son, your love, his reason for living, and he'd tossed it away because he wasn't. Goddamn. Strong. Enough. Shuddering breaths wracked his shoulders, threatening to break him. And then, something happened that hadn't happened in eighteen hardship filled years.

Vergil wept.

Tears that had been held behind mental stone walls cascaded out, soaking his cheeks, his collar, and dripping onto your face, marring your peaceful visage. And now accompanying the river was the ugly sobs that broke his physical discipline, jerking him as if he was some sort of broken marionette puppet. Had there been any demons accompanying the snake, he would have been an easy target, even for the lowliest of them. But of course, as was his curse, he'd survived, while watching the people he loved get slaughtered because of him.

But.... there was something he could do. He may not have been able to save you, but he could get his vengeance on the monster that was behind your death. _Mundus, _the mere thought of the name brought bitterness to the back of his throat. He had the Yamato, and after years of training, he could theoretically cut a small portal to the Underworld, just big enough for him. And then, he'd cut the Demon King down himself, and half the damn Underworld if he had to. He'd die in the attempt, there was no doubt, but it was a fitting price to pay to get his revenge and...

_Nero..._

He sobs stilled momentarily. He couldn't leave his son. And not just because his brother wasn't capable of taking care of him (he could grudgingly admit his brother was more than capable of being decent at childcare), but he couldn't abandon his son. Not like his father had left his family just before they needed him most. His son needed him, more than Vergil needed vengeance.

And he knew you'd never forgive him if he left his son behind, while in such a vulnerable stage of life. Reluctantly, Vergil put aside the thought of violent immediate revenge, for what he knew you would want: to live for Nero.

Vergil placed a gentle, featherlight kiss on your forehead. “I'm sorry, my Evening Star, I failed you...” another sob ripped through him, and he didn't fight it. “I will get stronger, to protect Nero, I swear it to you.”

He stroked your face, angelic and peaceful, beautiful despite the manner of your death. You'd been defiant, and fought to the last. You hadn't begged, or pleaded for your life. If he could end his life half as bravely, it would be a good death.

As he cradled your body, rocking you while humming his mother's lullaby, he made one last request to your spirit.

_Forgive me, my love, for failing you, and...for once I am certain Nero can protect himself, forgive me for the vengeance I will commit on Mundus....and anyone who gets in my way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to apologise. When I first wrote the first story, I had assumed that that I'd get a couple kudos, and maybe if I was lucky, I'd get a comment and a sub. So if/when I wrote this chapter, only a few people would be affected. What I found out was there was a whole group of people who...actually liked my work? 
> 
> Which... made this chapter hard. It's been in my brain for a while, and now I feel like I've hurt you all, let you all down. Rest assured, I am working of the last chapter, right away and a happy ending is in the cards.


	3. Blood of the Covenant

You wandered through the garden, admiring the beauty surrounding you. You never had the time or the talent to raise plants beyond vegetables in the Orphanage gardens, but you could appreciate the hard work that would go into something so stunning. The garden reminded you of the Fortuna Botanical Gardens in the Capital that the Matrons would take you to as a child, usually funded by some well meaning noble, who wished to feel good about how they'd frittered away their coin. But despite the similarities, this wasn't the Fortuna Gardens. First, there was a distinct lack of statues of Sparda. Not that they ever got Sparda's representation right, much too demonic, he never liked using that form unless in battle.

_Wait, how do I know what Sparda looks like? _

You placed your hands out to cup a delicate blue rose and sniffed its intoxicating fragrance. The garden in Fortuna never had roses this colour, they were all pale lifeless pinks and oranges, not the vibrant blue, red, and purple roses that grew here. And the gardens didn't have lilies like this one did, growing in ponds, alongside exquisite lily-pads.

_Roses and Lillies...Why does that sound so familiar?_

You stood at the edge of the pond, watching koi swimming lazily around the lilies, who much like their rose counterparts, were brilliant reds, blues, and royal purples. You tentatively stuck your hand in the water, and the koi flocked to it, and nibbled lightly on the tips of your fingers, tickling them gently. You looked around, to see if any gardeners were around. It was then you realized that aside from you, the fish, a couple of frogs, and some unseen songbirds, there was not a living soul around. It felt oddly quiet.

“**WHO” ** You nearly screamed at the sound, and looking around, you saw an owl sitting on top of the stone side of a fountain. Strange, to see an owl during daylight, and stranger yet that the owl was much bigger than you thought one ought to be, and nearly black with iridescent <strike>scales</strike> feathers, like a raven's wing.

**"WHO” **it repeated, and turned its head to your left, and then flew off in that direction, before landing on a statue of a woman draped in cloth, cradling two small children a dozen metres away. It looked at you, turned its head left again, and flew approximately the same distance, and landed on a tree, before looking at you and hooting again.

_It wants me to follow it...._ And so you did, watching it coast silently, from perch to perch, checking on you occasionally, to make sure you followed. You meandered behind it at first, enjoying the scenery, but something told you that you needed to hurry, there was something important you needed to do, something that was time sensitive.

Eventually, you came to a gleaming white gazebo, large and airy. There was enough space for a elegant white painted wrought iron lattice table, and a couple of comfortable looking cream coloured leather chaise lounges. A faint smell of Earl Grey tea wafted through the breeze

_He liked it with two sugars...wait, who liked it?_

In contrast, the big, black wolf with blood red eyes stood out menacingly on the steps of the gazebo, apparently on guard. It growled at you, but made no attempt to attack. You paused, hesitant to approach any further, as the owl landed on its back, staring straight at you, but without aggression.

“Hmmm, doesn't smell demonic...smells like boring 'ole human” The wolf spoke. What was with animals talking to you today?

_Wait, what other animals had spoken to you?_

“Now now Fenris, that is no way to speak to our guest.” An unfamiliar voice spoke, and you saw a woman approach, with long blonde hair, a black dress, with gold filigree embroidered on her long flowing sleeves. A red sheer shawl lay delicately over her shoulders. She had a kindly, yet sad look on her face, a face that looked so familiar....

“You know boss, can never be too careful around here, birdie here couldn't tell a human from a firebat, I swear.” The owl hooted in apparently aggravation, before flying over to a perch beside the woman. She was kinder to it, “Thank you for escorting her, Athena” The bird seemed to preen herself in delight, and then swooped down to peck the wolf as a way to say 'I told you so', before returning to her perch.

“Sheesh, okay...I swear I get no respect around here” the wolf grumbled, but he grudgingly slunked away, before laying down at the foot of one of the reclining couches.

“Welcome” the lady spoke, “and don't mind Fenris, he's a loyal familiar and very protective of me, a bit wary of strangers, especially since we don't get many.” _A familiar..._ That meant she was a witch, and your brain unwillingly recited _Suffer not a witch to live_ from one of those interminable sermons. But you knew that not all witches were evil, and this one definitely didn't feel like she had ulterior motives.

“Tea?” she asked and you nodded as you climbed the stone steps.

She poured the tea, a dark amber concoction that smelt divine, and before you could ask, she added and stirred in a spoonful of sugar, before pushing it towards you. Was it a witch power to know tea preferences? Offering a small 'thank you' you brought it to your lips. It was the best goddamn tea you'd ever had.

You set your delicate china cup down, and watched her as she stirred her tea, avoiding your gaze. Why did she look so familiar? Your memory felt cloudy... had you worked with her in the Orphanage? Met her in the market? No... you'd never seen her in the flesh, just in a portrait... a portrait in a gallery? No...it was on a desk, an antique wooden desk....

“Eva?” You asked tentatively.

A beautiful smile spread across her face. “Ah, you remember, that's a good sign. What else do you recall?”

You frowned, looking into your tea. You know you had never met the woman, but that you were familiar with her, did she live far away? No...she used to live in Redgrave (_how did you know that?_)

_Used to..._

_She was dead..._

_How am I talking to a dead woman?_

_Unless..._

Your hands went your mouth, covering the small O that your lips made. Eva looked patiently at you. “I'm dead” you said, matter of factly, still in a bit of shock.

“Not quite, you're on the knifes edge, the area between life and death, a world almost identical to the dream world.” She took a polite sip as you tried to make sense of the whole situation. “Do you know what lucid dreaming is, my dear?”

“Um, it's when you're aware that you're dreaming?”

“Yes, and right now is similar to that, you're becoming aware that you can control what you do here, and which path to take.”

You were confused, “Then why not just tell me, 'hey, you're dead', why this whole” you waved your arms out over the massive estate “illusionary tea party?”

“Cuz if we told you, it'd be like a regular lucid dream, where you wake up the moment you realize the world isn't real” Fenris butted in, “And if you do that, you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, if yah know what I mean. Warranty void, No Returns or Exchanges, Go directly to Jail, Do not collect 200 dollars, capice? If you figure out slowly enough that you're almost dead, you can sometimes wake up feeling a bit more alive.”

“Wait, hold up... I can come back from the dead?”

“Jeesh, did your ears not make it with you? You're not DEAD. You're just MOSTLY DEAD. And the longer you sit around drinking tea and eating biscuits, the MORE DEADER you're gonna be.”

“That's enough, Fenris, you're giving the poor girl anxiety, and we don't want that” Eva was firm, as if she was speaking to her....children.

“Vergil..?” you whimpered as a memory of a distraught man stood before you, sword in hand.

Eva beamed sympathetically. “That's it, try to remember your past life, the threads that connected you to there, if we have enough threads, we can begin to weave you back into the living world.”

You felt warm wetness on your cheeks, like rain, but when you looked up into the sky there was not a single cloud, and when you placed your hands your cheeks, you realized they were completely dry. How peculiar.

“Alright,” Eva said, as she gently grasped your hand. “I'm going to escort you back into slumber, and you're going to close your eyes, and remember. Remember those whose lives you've touched, and remember those whose lives have touched you.”

You were about to close your eyes, but then you looked up to the woman with worry “But what about you? Are you stranded here?”

The older woman smiled. “I choose to remain here, until my contract with my husband is completed, so until he arrives, I will await here, now hush...”

And so you closed your eyes, breathing in and out carefully. A flash of red, a cheeky grin quickly filled your mind, a voice quick to tell a joke, to lend a helping hand...

_Dante.._

Suddenly, the memory changed, to small delicate hands, a beautiful smile that could brighten any day, eyes that could pierce your very soul. A book always in hand.

_Nero..._

Again the image changed, to a brilliant blue, of a disciplined man, always alert, always guarded, but always open to you and his son. His lips on your skin, soft white hair, the terms of endearment he would whisper into your ear.

_Vergil...._

_Your family..._

“There we go...you remember them,” Eva's soft voice came from a distance, but you felt her nearby, giving you a tender kiss on the forehead. Odd, it felt like two people doing it at the same time...but that was impossible. “Now rest, and this will become merely a pleasant dream. Rest, my dear daughter”

Eva began humming that familiar tune, that lullaby, soothing you as you drifted into a restful doze, but after a while, you realized she wasn't humming alone. It was a duet with a man with a lower, rich voice, one that brought memories of a hooded figure, rocking an infant....

Eventually both voices faded away, and you lay in the comforting darkness, with only Eva's hand in yours to anchor you. But as you began to raise out of the depths, you discerned it was not the same hand as before, the slim delicate fingers were now thicker and slightly more rough. And there seemed to be something on them, some sort of leather finger-less glove? You gave a tentative squeeze, and were rewarded with someone's sharp intake of breath, and the call of your name.

You opened your eyes to a harsh, artificial light, and nearly shut them closed again in pain. You heard your name called again, from your right side, and slowly turned your head, blinking constantly to try to adjust your eyesight. There, holding your hand gently, as if you were made of fine china, was Vergil. Shockingly, he looked a mess, his hair wasn't brushed back like it usually was, it was mostly down, to the point a person not familiar with the twins might confuse the two. His overcoat was wrinkled and worn (and were those blood spatters?). His face was haggard and pale, even more pale than usual, lips chapped and he had deep circles around his eyes, like he was sleep deprived. What had happened? But even through this, he smiled at you, practically beaming. Beside him, laying against his shoulder, fast asleep, was Nero, clutching a stuffed sabre-tooth tiger his uncle had won for him at the fair (honestly, bring a Sparda to a fair game was cheating)

“You're awake” he whispered, as if raising his voice would break a spell, and he squeezed your hand gently. You winced as you tried to get up, pain shooting through your body. “You shouldn't move”, he firmly guided you back into...your hospital bed? Looking down at your hand he held, you saw an IV plugged into a vein on the back of your hand_. _You were slowly gaining awareness that you weren't in your apartment, or Devil May Cry.

“Welcome back, Sunshine!” Dante's upbeat voice came from the other side of the bed. Unlike his brother, he was actually looking good, at first glance, but there was still a tremor, a twitch in his smile. “gave us a bit of scare there” you looked down a yourself, bruises covering your arms, your left wrist in a splint, and the constant soreness. “Doc says you're gonna make a full recovery, it's just gonna take a while.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Vergil asked cautiously, seemingly afraid to trigger some mental trauma.

“There was... a demon attack...” you started, “some snake-demon-thing, and” you looked up at Vergil, who seemed as tense as a bow string “You saved me.” At that, Vergil looked like he was about to crack, about to break down (though you had no idea why, this was supposed to be a happy time) but then Nero awoke, probably to the voices, and blearily looked around until he saw your face. He did what his father could not and just burst into tears.

“Y-y-you're back!” he sobbed, tears dripping down his adorable face, “When d-dad called us and said you were hurt real bad, I w-was so scared!”

Ignoring the pain, you reached out to cradle his cheek, “I'm here, Nero, everything's going to be okay. I'm just going to be out of commission for a while, I don't have your ability to get better right away.”

“That being said...” Dante interrupted, causing Nero to scowl at him “It would be completely stupid for you to go back to your old place once you're out of here. You live on what...the third floor? And your place is trashed, gonna take months to get it back to working order. Thankfully,” he placed a unwanted arm around his brother's shoulder “Vergil suggested you move in with us...at least for a while, until you get back on your feet.”

Vergil tried to argue “I did no-” he was stopped by both a punch by his younger brother in the arm, and his son enthusiastically agreeing. “Yeah, you could stay with us! It would be so much fun!”

“Only issue is...” Dante said with a smirk on his face “Vergil's bedroom is the only one on the main floor....” the implications made your face redden.

“Dante, do you think you can leave the room now, before you say anything more that you may regret?” Vergil said through gritted teeth.

Dante put up his hands in mock defeat, chuckled, “come on kid, let's get something to eat, and let these two lovebirds have some alone time” Nero hopped off the chair, grabbed his uncle's hand as they left the room, with Dante whistling some familiar tune...reminded you of a disco song. Vergil sighed in aggravation.

“Now now, don't go spoiling the mood by stabbing Dante, it would be hard to explain it to hospital staff.” you said jokingly. You looked at the clock, three in the morning, that might explain why it was so quiet outside your room. “How long have I been out?”

“Three days”

“Three days,” you repeated, trying to figure what was so important about that, before it clicked,

“Your birthday! I don't have anything ready for your birth-” you were cut off by a passionate kiss, which after a half second of surprise, you eagerly took.   
He broke away, “This is enough. This is more than enough”

“You haven't slept at all the last three days, have you?”

A small tired chuckle “is it that obvious?” as he stroked your cheek, looking into your eyes, before averting them in shame. “I almost lost you, did you know? I thought you were ...dead.” a single tear escaped, but he used the back of his to sleeve to obliterate any evidence that it existed. “But somehow, you came back. I don't know how, but I am grateful.”

The smell of a rose flashed in your mind, the flap of wings, and a woman's smile. _Must have been a dream..._

Ignoring the pain, you pulled him for another kiss and rested his head on your lap. “Rest,” you commanded, “I will be here when you awaken”. With an amused huff, Vergil complied, and after a few minutes of stroking his unruly hair, he had completely passed out.

You were still awake when Dante came in, carrying the sleeping form of Nero on his hip. He grinned at the sight of his brother, in such a peaceful slumber, before setting his son next to him.

“Ah, I gotcha a get well soon card”

“You didn't have to, Dante.”

“Trust me, you'll love it,” and he handed the card over to you. It wasn't anything too special with a couple of diabetes inducing kittens on the cover. But inside....inside, there was a photo, slightly wrinkled, but clear photo of Vergil, several years younger, face plastered to the kitchen table, hand still grasped around a coffee mug. A copious amount of drool had pooled underneath his cheek.

“Keep it safe, Sunshine.” he said, as he sat down and stretched. And soon he had passed out as well.

_All my life, I wanted a family _ you thought as you slipped back to to slumber _I am truly blessed to have this...._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooof, I hope this was a satisfactory ending to this story. When I first came up with the idea was to have a regular hurt/comfort, where Vergil saves you (barely) and you bond over that. But then the angst gremlin on my desk demanded more. So I felt compelled to add the reader's death. But then I was going to just use the amulet/eva's soul to revive via the Power of Love (tm) But that sounded so... boring. So, with my existing canon that Eva is a witch, I concocted something a bit more complex. I hope this is a sufficient apology for the pain of the last chapter. Thanks for all the comments, kudos, and anguished messages on Tumblr! I got one more story coming downt he pipe, with a bit of angst, but not as much.


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